Microsoft this week confirmed that Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) already supports NFC. The revelation was made by Will Coleman, developer evangelist and product manager at Microsoft UK, during an interview with TechRadar.
“As far as I’m aware, NFC is supported by [Windows Phone], but needs to be enabled by the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). So, if any OEM wants to enable it, that can be done by all means.”
“Think it’s about just about timing, in the not too distant future there are some exciting things that will be coming through with NFC from Microsoft.”
It seems odd that no manufacturer has taken advantage of this feature in the latest crop of devices. Tech Radar surmises that it could be because secure NFC(used in payment transactions) is not implemented yet.
Microsoft is rumoured to be working on its own NFC wallet technology to take on Google Wallet. Other uses could include non-secure connections between Bluetooth devices
Before Windows Phone 7.5 was announced, there had been some rumours that some devices would support NFC. That they did not when they were released suggests that Microsoft needs to further enhance its NFC functionality before manufacturers will use it.